8" converter on the highway ??

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I've done it in the past, just make sure your cooler is adequate. Your building a lot of heat getting up to speed with that converter.
 
Demonracer said:
I've done it in the past, just make sure your cooler is adequate. Your building a lot of heat getting up to speed with that converter.
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i don't think I'll find a real good success story. I will most likely end up with 9.5 or 10". Just thought if there were a few good testimonies, I might consider an 8".
 
I drove a PTC 9.5" tight 3800 on the street back and forth to work 12 miles one way for almost 4 years. 4.30 gears. About half the trip on the interstate. Every. Single. Day. No auxiliary transmission cooler. Occasional trip down the 1320 at The Silver Dollar in Reynolds, Georgia driving there and back a little over an hour one way. Never gave me one single problem. That was tween like 1994 and 1998. Think how far converter technology has come since. Just because no one's stepped up with an 8" doesn't mean you caint do it.
 
I bet if you had this thread in the race section, you'd have a few more responses.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I drove a PTC 9.5" tight 3800 on the street back and forth to work 12 miles one way for almost 4 years. 4.30 gears. About half the trip on the interstate. Every. Single. Day. No auxiliary transmission cooler. Occasional trip down the 1320 at The Silver Dollar in Reynolds, Georgia driving there and back a little over an hour one way. Never gave me one single problem. That was tween like 1994 and 1998. Think how far converter technology has come since. Just because no one's stepped up with an 8" doesn't mean you caint do it.
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Damm and I've been too chicken to drive my car with 3.91's and a similar 9.5" converter! How many rpm's were you turning on the highway? Were you able to keep up with traffic?
 
QuickDart360 said:
Damm and I've been too chicken to drive my car with 3.91's and a similar 9.5" converter! How many rpm's were you turning on the highway? Were you able to keep up with traffic?
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Bout 2750 @ 55 or so. It wasn't bad at all, really. I had a 28" tall tire on it, too so that helped. It was still a beast. I had the 3.90s in Vixen for a little while, but with the 13s on it, it was too much so I put the 3.23 back in her. Much better.
 
DITTO.
Unless you cruise in the non-slippage rpm of the converter, you will generate heat.
Determine the gear you will have to run. And it will not be a MPG gear.
 
6pak said:
DITTO.
Unless you cruise in the non-slippage rpm of the converter, you will generate heat.
Determine the gear you will have to run. And it will not be a MPG gear.
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Right. That's the whole key. Staying out of the slip.....but with modern converters that's REAL easy to do since they don't slip. lol I found zero need for an additional cooler.
 
I have ran 3 different 8" converters in my barracuda, a 5200, a 6600, and a 7200 all with different gear ratios of 4.10, 4.30 and lastly 4.88's. All were built knowing ahead of time that it was a street/strip car and were built on the tight side although the 7200 is the loosest as it had to built that way to still perform. I have driven them all on the highway here in Kansas City but none of them would go on 15 mile type trips and I also kept the RPM in check so I usually was running 55-60 mph and obviously constantly getting passed by......but to your point I have and experienced no problems with any of them.
 
toolmanmike said:
Converters are rated by stall speed and flash rpm. Diameter doesn't matter so much. You knew that.
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Correct. But generally you wouldn't have a 1600 flash stall with a 8" converter.. LOL. Maybe an 8" is an overkill for my purpose. Just seeing what info is out there...
 
'68cuda416 said:
I have ran 3 different 8" converters in my barracuda, a 5200, a 6600, and a 7200 all with different gear ratios of 4.10, 4.30 and lastly 4.88's. All were built knowing ahead of time that it was a street/strip car and were built on the tight side although the 7200 is the loosest as it had to built that way to still perform. I have driven them all on the highway here in Kansas City but none of them would go on 15 mile type trips and I also kept the RPM in check so I usually was running 55-60 mph and obviously constantly getting passed by......but to your point I have and experienced no problems with any of them.
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Good info !
 
I will 100% guarantee you lenny at ultimate converter can build you a 8" that your grandma could daily drive. Converter technology has advanced so much in the last few years its mind boggling
 
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